Exercise equipment can be classified primarily as equipment intended for aerobic exercise and equipment intended for anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise stimulates the action of the heart and lungs and the circulation of the blood. Anaerobic exercise, on the other hand, involves the conditioning or toning of muscles and muscle groups. Naturally, because of the repetitive nature of exercise, there is some overlap in the effects of each of these categories of exercise. For example, an exercise bicycle, which is an aerobic exerciser, also causes the leg muscles to be toned to some extent because of the continuous pedaling action. Anaerobic exercise equipment, for example free weights, will cause increased heart and lung action if the weights are sufficiently heavy or the exercise regime of sufficient duration. Neither of these categories of exercise is superior to the other and, in fact, a good exercise program normally involves both types.
Exercise equipment previosly was designed for the institutional user; for example, for use in a gym. Recently, however, there has been an ever increasing interest in home exercise equipment permitting the user to perform both aerobic and/or anaerobic exercise at home with the appropriate equipment.
Many individuals do not have sufficient space available in their home to outfit a gym. There has therefore been a need for exercise equipment which is capable of use for both anaerobic and aerobic exercise. For example, Brown, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,071, discloses an exercise device which is a rowing machine in one orientation (aerobic) and which simulates free weights in a second orientation (anaerobic).
An exercise bicycle is a well known piece of aerobic exercise equipment which many individuals have in their home. The anaerobic exercise ability of the exercise bicycle is, however, extremely limited and relates primarily to strengthening of the leg muscles. Attempts have been made to combine an exercise bicycle with upper body conditioning devices, for example, Hooper, U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,030, but these attempts have primarily involved cooperative interconnection of the pedals with movable handle bars. The cooperative motion causes the resistance means to rotate. Such devices are not totally satisfactory for a combined exerciser because the movement of the handle bars is functionally related to the pedaling operation so that both occur at essentially a uniform rate. Therefore, one desirous of performing more strenuous exercise for his upper body is not able to do so because the pedals rotate at that same rate. It is therefore important that a combined exerciser permit independent exercise of the upper body while allowing the aerobic exercise achieved through the pedaling operation to continue at its own separate rate.